When we talk about getting healthier, most people start with “What should I stop eating?” or “Which supplement do I need?” They’re fair questions — but they’re not the best place to start.
Try asking yourself these four instead.
1. How can I improve on what I’m already doing?
Notice the wording. Not “How can I be perfect?” Just improve.
Small, consistent changes are far more powerful than dramatic overhauls that last a week. Drink an extra glass of water. Go for a ten-minute walk. Add vegetables, rather than focusing on what to take away. Small steps have a way of becoming lasting habits.
2. What are my strengths?
We spend so much time fixing what’s “wrong” that we forget what’s already working.
Maybe you’re good at meal planning. Maybe you never miss your morning walk. Maybe you’ve already kicked the sugary-drink habit.
Build on your strengths — it’s an underestimated superpower. Success breeds success.
3. What skills should I develop?
A tougher question, but an honest one. Real health isn’t only about knowledge — it’s about skills.
Learning to read food labels, preparing simple meals and snacks, understanding your stress, improving your sleep, planning ahead — these can make a far bigger difference than chasing the latest health trend.
Skills stay with you long after motivation fades.
4. How do I set achievable goals?
The best goals are realistic enough that you actually keep them. (See #2 — success breeds success.)
Instead of “I’m going to exercise every day,” try “I’ll walk for fifteen minutes after dinner, three times this week.”
A goal you achieve is worth far more than a perfect plan you never start.
Your One Small Step take-away
You don’t have to change everything today.
Ask yourself these four questions, choose just one area to work on, and take one — just one — Small Step.
Because lasting health isn’t built in giant leaps. It’s built one Small Step at a time.
Michelle Kaminer — 1 Small Step
Email: healthcoach@1smallstep.co.za
WhatsApp: 084 214 2127
Website: www.1smallstep.co.za
If you would like to talk these four questions through with others, see our free Wednesday Drop-In Sessions (Coffee & Conversation).
If you want someone beside you as you find the root causes, see one-on-one health coaching.
Common questions
Can a health coach help with sustainable habit change without a strict diet?
That is the idea behind One Small Step. Small, consistent changes are far more powerful than dramatic overhauls that last a week, so the focus is on adding things, like an extra glass of water, a ten-minute walk or more vegetables, rather than on what to take away.
What is the Kaizen approach of small steps in wellness coaching?
Kaizen is a Japanese practice of taking small steps that lead to big changes. Michelle draws on it in her coaching: choose one area, take one small step, build on what already works, and let success breed success.
Do tiny habits make a difference to nutrition and health?
Small steps have a way of becoming lasting habits. Learning to read food labels, preparing simple meals and snacks and planning ahead are skills that stay with you long after motivation fades. A goal you achieve, such as a fifteen-minute walk after dinner three times this week, is worth more than a perfect plan you never start.